2018-12-10 | [Resolved] Android Package Builds Failing due to Missing Dependencies

RESOLVED [2:00pm CT on Dec 12th]

We have received notice that the missing dependencies that were causing Android build errors should now be restored. Please try your Android builds again and reach out if you continue to have issues.

PENDING RESOLUTION[Approx. 10:00pm CT on Dec 11th]

We have received notice that the missing dependencies that were causing Android build errors should now be restored. Please try your Android builds again and reach out if you continue to have issues.

We are continuing to monitor the situation until we receive verification of successful dependency restoration and build success from our customers.

TEMPORARY FIX IMPLEMENTED [2:00pm CT on Dec 11th]

Our developers have implemented a temporary fix that should allow Appflow Android builds to complete successfully while a proper fix is implemented by Google. Please let us know if the issue continues.

Users who are not building in Appflow can temporarily add the following build-extras.gradle file as a workaround.

build-extras.gradle

Create a file named build-extras.gradle in the root of your project with the following contents:

buildscript {
 repositories {
   maven { 
     url 'https://dl.bintray.com/android/android-tools' 
   }
 }
}

config.xml

Add a resource-file node to the Android platform in config.xml with the target path shown below. This will move the build-extras.gradle file to the correct location when your platform is generated.

cordova-android 7.x.x

<platform name="android">
  <resource-file src="build-extras.gradle" target="app/build-extras.gradle" />
  ...

cordova-android 6.4.0 

<platform name="android">
 <resource-file src="build-extras.gradle" target="build-extras.gradle" />
 ...

CONTINUING TO MONITOR [7:30am CT on Dec 11th]

Missing dependencies are in the process of being restored by Google and the dependency managers. It may still take some time before all dependencies are restored, so we are continuing to monitor the situation.

Note: This issue also affects Creator Package builds.

INITIAL REPORTS & MONITORING [Approx. 2:55pm CT on Dec 10th]: 

Over the weekend, we began receiving reports of Android build failures in Ionic Appflow.

We believe the problem relates to the removal of some Android dependencies used for various Android services, plugins, etc. by Google. This issue is not specific to Ionic Appflow or any Ionic service, but it is preventing successful Android Package builds.

Note: We have seen a subset of customers who were able to workaround this issue by upgrading their version of cordova-android to v7.1.4. We recommend customers try upgrading cordova-android to see if that resolves their build problem.

We are monitoring the situation and investigating potential workarounds while awaiting any official updates.

Error Example 1:

Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.2.3.

Error Example 2:

java.lang.IllegalStateException: compileSdkVersion is not specified. ​

The list of example errors is not exhaustive and your error may not match those above.

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If you would like status updates on this incident, please follow this post or Ionic Appflow Support by submitting a ticket.